Stephen Garner
Watercolorist
Stephen Garner indulges in watercolor painting, drawing, writing poetry, and discussing intriguing ideas. One aspect of his work is a focus on the figure. He often attends the life drawing group held weekly at the Mendocino Art Center where he prefers dry media such as charcoal. Several framed drawings from the model are in the gallery, and you will notice a captivating presence of figures in many of his watercolors. When he is able, he paints outdoors, but he often continues to explore creative ideas in the studio. Stephen likes to use a process he calls “collage,” inventing ways to fit images together to tell a story. Examples of this process featured in his recent Featured Artist show Persistence of Vision. “Conjuring Dragons," seen at left, above, is an example of a painting made from more than one source. “Woman Walking into the Fog” (on the left), his newest piece, has a mysterious ambiguity. We are looking at the figure walking boldly down a foggy road. The same woman appears farther down the road, suggesting movement or the passage of time. To the left a cautionary worker holds up a stop sign. We are invited to follow her into the fog, wondering what lies ahead. |